At a recent Town of Oyster Bay Town Board regular meeting, the South Farmingdale Water District (SFWD) made their presence known and applied for the issuance of serial bonds for improvements to the water district. But before the regular meeting began to hear the water district’s case, a special presentation was made to honor a group of Farmingdale locals.
Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino commended the Nutty Irishman for hosting their annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser in March, and thanked Bill Rock and Monica Kuchinskas for co-chairing the event. He also thanked Nutty’s owner Joe Fortuna and Director of Operations Catherine Gabreski, and the Farmingdale School District for supporting and participating in the event. He stated that this year’s fundraiser raised more than $200,000, and presented town citations to Rock, Kuchinskas, Fortuna and Farmingdale School District Superintendent Paul Defendini, acknowledging their efforts and commitment to community service.
After the presentation of the citations, the regular meeting began with a finance hearing for the SFWD’s case. Present for the hearing were Saladino, Councilwoman Michele Johnson and Councilmen Anthony Macagnone, Louis Imbroto, Thomas Hand and Steven Labriola.
Town Clerk James Altadonna Jr. introduced the hearing and Willis Carman subsequently came forward to state his case. Willis represented Carman, Callahan & Ingham, LLP, of Farmingdale, a company that provides representation during all phases of the attorney-client relationship.
Carman stated that the SFWD was seeking financing for four “important capital improvement projects,” including the treatment of 1,4-Dioxane at Plant 3, iron removal at Plant 4, water main replacements throughout the district and expansion of the garage at Plant 1.
“The amount of the borrowing will not exceed $16.3 million,” stated Carman. “The repayment of the bond will be made by assessments against real property within the South Farmingdale Water District and not against town properties at large. The projects are necessary so the district can continue to provide safe portable drinking water and adequate pressure for fire protection.”
Addressing 1,4-Dioxane first, Carman noted the district’s need for a treatment facility at Plant 3, located on Hicksville Road. He mentioned that the synthetic industrial chemical was present in elevated levels during December’s water sampling, at which point the SFWD stopped pumping at Plant 3. Under the New York State Health Department’s regulation, Carman expects that water providers will soon need to comply with the Governor’s Drinking Water Quality Counsel, which recommends a maximum contaminate level (MCL) for 1,4-Dioxane at one part per billion. In order to comply with this regulation, Carman stated that the SFWD “needs to design and construct a treatment facility at Plant 3 so that the well can be put back into use.” This will allow the water district to implement new technology to properly treat the water and break down the elevated 1,4-Dioxane levels.
Carman also made known that the monetary amount being requested comes after the water district’s not being able to wait to receive funds from state grants requested from the health department and from a suit the SFWD filed in Federal Court against the manufacturers of 1,4-Dioxane and against the Northrop Grumman Corporation for their roles in contaminating the area’s groundwater.
Carman then explained the second project—an iron filtration plant at Plant 4 on Lyndon Street in North Massapequa. He commented that recently, water pumped at the plant has elevated iron levels and the current iron removal process is not sufficient. He stated the SFWD is looking to implement a system of pressurized filters to removed the iron.
The third project, he explained, involves a continuation of the SFWD’s program of replacing its aging water mains. Improving the mains will stabilize distribution, make water pressure consistent and improve the water quality throughout the district.
Lastly, the water district seeks to expand the main garage at Plant 1 on Langdon Road. Seeing as the garage has met capacity, the SFWD has had to store vehicles, material and equipment at other sites throughout the district, said Carman. Expanding the garage will allow the SFWD to keep all of its belongings in “one central location on Plant 1 and will be able to respond to emergencies, such as water main breaks, in a more efficient fashion.” The garage will also mitigate noise to nearby residents when district workers load their trucks.
“All the projects are necessary so the district can continue to provide safe drinking water and fire protection for the residents,” explained Carman in closing.
Councilman Macagnone then called for a motion to close the hearing and make a decision on adopting the resolutions for the SFWD at a later time in the meeting. It was ayes all around and the meeting continued with other orders of business.
The meeting concluded with Saladino requesting the call of the regular action calendar and subsequent vote on all resolutions presented within the action calendar. Altadonna called a motion to adopt Resolution P-9-19 through Resolution 341, noting that resolutions 321 and 337 were tabled. Resolution No. 338A-2019, the decision for the application of the SFWD for issuance of serial bonds for improvements to the water district, was unanimously adopted. Resolution No. 338B-2019, the issuance of serial bonds to pay the cost of improvements to the SFWD, was also unanimously adopted with six ayes from the present councilmen.
